


Project Grimm Warden

by Shadowwrath



Series: The Grimm Born Records [1]
Category: Guild Wars Series (Video Games), RWBY, Red vs. Blue
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fights, Gen, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-23 01:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8308156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowwrath/pseuds/Shadowwrath
Summary: In a time of uncertain allies…and dangerous enemies…A new order rises.While the Vigil forms its army...the Durmand Priory reads its books…and the Order of Whispers sticks to the shadows…Project Grimm Warden calls out for hunters.It is time for them to forge new legends.It is time for them to fight.This is their story.





	1. Charr-broiled Taverns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang goes to a tavern. You can probably guess where this is going.

Night began to fall over the Black Citadel, signaling the end of another long day. That meant that Asura Gate Keeper Blomm would be ending his shift in a few hours. The asura sighed. In a few hours, he could go to bed, only to have to wake up the next morning and start another long day of standing next to his gate, watching travelers enter and exit it, and hoping against hope that the charrbage in charge didn’t decide to blow the bridge to the gate platform sky high. 

 _Only a few more hours_ , he silently reminded himself as he checked his instruments. Once the asura was sure that everything was still running smoothly, he looked up just in time to see two human females walk out of his gate. Now Blomm was in no way an expert on humans, but he could tell that these two were young. If he had to guess, he’d say they were in their late teens or early twenties.

The taller, and most likely older, of the two had long blonde hair that fell past her waist, and a pair of lilac eyes. Her clothes were brown, yellow, and black, the most notable part being a pair of yellow metallic bracelets worn over a pair of black fingerless gloves.

Her companion on the other hand had short brunette hair with red headlights, and a pair of silver eyes. She wore a red cloak and a black dress, complimented with black combat boots with red lacing. Underneath her cloak, Blomm caught sight of what appeared to be some kind of weapon. A gun perhaps?

The blonde turned towards Blomm and said, “Excuse me. Can you tell me how to get to the Serrated Blade Tavern?”

Blomm sighed again and stated rather harshly. “I’m a gatekeeper, bookah, not a tour guide.”

“Bookah?” the brunette asked, tilting her head a little in that dumb way that humans do when they don’t understand something.

The blonde on the other hand clinched her hands and teeth. “Why you--”

“I can take you to the Blade,” came a new voice, definitely charr, definitely female. Blomm and the two humans turned towards the new comer. She was small for a charr, and by the looks of it, she was about the same age as the humans. She was covered in black fur and had long black hair and amber eyes. She wore black and white clothes and had a sword sheathed on her back. She looked between the humans. “That is if you want me to.”

The brunette smiled. “Yes please, if you don’t mind.”

“Right,” the charr turned around and started to walk off. “Follow me.”

The brunette looked over to her companion, and asked, “Are you coming, Yang?”

The blonde, Yang apparently,  gave Blomm a pointed glare before turning to the other human. “Ya, I’m right behind you, Sis.” With that, the two ran off to catch up with the charr.

As he watched them leave, Blomm sighed one last time before turning back to his equipment. _Wait a minute_ , he thought to himself. _What did the big bookah mean by_ _‘ Sis_ _’?_ _They didn’t look related_. The asura just shrugged, and got back to work.

* * *

“Thanks for doing this,” the brunette said after catching up to the charr.

Without looking back or stopping, the feline just gave a simple, “Yeah.”

The younger human continued, “I’m Ruby.”

“Okay.”

“So,” the blonde began to ask, “what’s your name?”

“Blake.”

“Well, Blake,” the blonde pointed to herself, “I’m Yang, Ruby’s older sister. I like your fur.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s really,” Yang paused for effect, “purrfect.”

“Right.”

As Yang talked to Blake, Ruby looked around. Her eyes quickly fell onto a large spherical structure in front and to the right of them, most likely the Imperator’s Core. The large domed windows, the fact that something that big and made entirely out metal can support its own weight, the overall design, it was all very impressive to say the least. Ruby could now understand why the Iron Legion made this city their capital. It was a display of their engineering at its finest.

As they got closer to the Core, they walked past a charr working on a small device. Closer inspection revealed it to be a blasting cap. With a start, Ruby realized that the whole bridge was lined with explosives. A quick glance around revealed multiple guards all over it. In front of them was a gate with watchtowers on either side. The left tower had a ladder to get inside with. Ruby nodded her head in approval. If someone were to invade the Black Citadel via the asura gate, the guards would hold off the invaders long enough for the gate to shut, closing off the bridge. They would then climb into the tower, knock down the ladder, and blow the bridge sky high. It’s genius. A much better design than Divinity’s Reach, who’s asura gate was in the gardens just outside the palace.

As they passed through the gate, Ruby couldn’t believe it. She always wanted to see the capital of the Legion that invented her chosen profession, so when Yang announced that she had to go to the Black Citadel for a business trip, Ruby leaped at the opportunity to tag along. Now that she was here, she was hoping that she could talk to an Iron Legion engineer and learn some new tricks.

Ruby looked over to Yang and Blake. The blonde was in the middle of telling yet another bad cat pun in a failed attempt to get a reaction out of the charr. The brunette decided to interrupt her in order to save them from the trouble, “Are you Iron?”

Yang paused halfway through a joke about cat claws, and turned to look at her sister. “What’s that, Sis?”

“Are you a member of the Iron Legion,” Ruby asked again.

“I am--” Blake shook her head, “was Ash.”

 _Ash huh_ ? Ruby thought. _She does seem like the stealthy silent type that that Legion consists of_ . _Wait. ‘Was?’ Is Blake a gladium?_

“What are you two talking about?” Yang asked.

Ruby sighed. “The three High Legions: Blood, Ash, and Iron. Blood consists of mostly frontline fighters, Ash Legionnaires are spies and assassins, and the Iron Legion is well known for its engineers and war machines. Most charr are a member of one or the other. There are some exceptions, such as the Flame Legion and gladiums.”

Blake stopped walking, and eyed Ruby cautiously. “How do you know so much about my people?”

Yang rolled her eyes. “Please. She has been studying the charr ever since she decided to become an engineer.”

“Well,” Ruby cheerfully stated, “the first engineers were charr. Iron is still leagues ahead of everyone else, even the asura.”

Blake couldn’t believe her ears. Most humans that she knew only cared about fighting and killing off the charr, but this one seemed to have a genuine interest in charr society and history. This interest was a welcomed, if not surprising, change in human behavior; even if it was directed at those blueprint drawers of the Iron Legion. She would be lying if she was to say that this human didn’t fascinate her.

Her sister also seemed different. Despite her bad puns, Yang showed no spite towards anyone. True, Blake was sure that the blonde was going to pummel that gatekeeper to death had she not stepped in, though in Yang’s defense, Blomm did have a tendency to instigate fights.

As Blake thought of the sisters, her curiosity started to get the best of her. She just had to know more. After quickly listing possible questions, she decide to start with the easy one first. “What about you Yang? Are you an engineer, too?”

Ruby laughed. “As if! Yang breaks everything she touches!”

The blonde gasped and placed her hand over her chest in an expression of mock shock and hurt. “Why are you so mean to me, Ruby?” After earning a glare from her sister and a cocked eyebrow from Blake, Yang chuckled and smiled sheepishly. “Fine. I’m guilty as charged. Nah. I’m a warrior.”

The charr nodded. Yang did look like the up-close-and-personal type. “I see.”

“What are you, Blake?” Ruby asked.

“I’m a thief.”

“Makes sense,” Ruby nodded deep in thought. “You being Ash and all.”

“Right,” Yang said. “So, where’s the Blade again?”

“Right this way.” Blake then began to lead them past two rows of giant statues.

Ruby looked around, clearly in awe. “Is this the Memorial Quadrant?”

Once again, the human surprised Blake with her knowledge of the charr race. “Yes. Each of these statues are dedicated to some of our greatest heroes, and that plaque to the left lists the names of every fallen warband.” She pointed to a large gate in front of them. “Down there is Diessa Gate. To the right of it is Canton Factorium. The Serrated Blade is in there.”

“Cool,” Yang said. “Let’s go.” With that, they spent the rest of their time in the Quadrant in silence. Yang looked at the statues in amazement. There were multiple memorials back in Divinity’s Reach, but none of them were like this. To have an entire section of a city other than a cemetery dedicated to the dead was a new concept to her. She liked that this place contained a sense of pride and honor instead of the air of sadness and death that cemeteries tend to have.

Before Yang new it, they were entering Canton Factorium. It was a large open area full of traders and crafters. In the center stood a two-story cylindrical building with a domed roof and a spiral ramp twisting around the outside. Judging by the charr stumbling out of it, Yang guessed that it was their destination. Just to make sure, she pointed to the building and asked, “Is that it?”

Blake nodded her head before saying, “Welcome to the Serrated Blade Tavern.” With that, she walked right in. Yang shared a glance with Ruby before following the charr inside.

Once inside, Yang immediately noticed that the place was overcrowded. Every table was taken, and multiple patrons were standing shoulder to shoulder. This did not surprise Yang, seeing that it was past dusk and all. What she did fine to be surprising, however, was the amount of non-charr. She expected only one or two humans beside Ruby and herself. Yang was wrong. There were multiple humans, a handful of norn (no surprise there), some sylvari, and even a few asura.

As Yang looked around, she began to make her way towards the bar when she heard a crash followed by a pair of grunts. She turned to the source of the noise only to see Ruby lying down on the ground on top of an asura. Before anyone could react, the asura yelled, “What are you doing? Get off of me, you bookah!”

“I sorry!” Ruby cried out as she quickly got up. She then offered her hand to the asura. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” the asura snapped before getting up on her own. She was tall for an asura, with long snow white hair tied in a off-kilter ponytail, and pale skin. Her eyes were an ice blue, and she had a scar over her left eye. She wore a white dress with high heels. She had a rapier strapped to her left hip. With a scowl, she turned to Ruby and said, “No thanks to you.”

Yang’s inner big sister kicked in, resulting in her staring the asura down. “She said that she’s sorry, Princess.” Princess may have not been the right word, but the asura kind of looked like royalty.

“Its heiress, actually,” Blake chose that moment to step in. “Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company; one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world.”

Weiss smiled at the charr before saying, “Finally, some recognition.”

Blake glared at the heiress, “The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners.”

“What…” Weiss stuttered, clearly taken aback. “How dare… The… The nerve of…”

The two humans laughed at the asura’s reaction, until Yang caught sight of three humans at the bar. One of them was male and the other two were female. They were all wearing formal clothing. The man had short black hair, a full beard, and a mustache. The two women both had long black hair, and looked nearly identical except for the fact that one wore red and the other one wore white. The man was drinking while the women looked around.

“I’ll be right back,” Yang said before heading over to the bar. The three humans looked at the blonde before the man waved off his companions. As they walked away, Yang turned to the bartender to order a drink. “Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh, and one of those little umbrellas.”

As the bartender started to make her drink, the man turned towards Yang, and said, “Aren’t you a little young to be in this tavern, Blondie?”

Yang laughed, “Aren’t you a little old to have a name like Junior?”

“So you know who I am.” Of course Yang knew who Junior was. He was a famous information broker who could tell you almost anything you ever wanted to know, for a price. Not to mention that you to find him, seeing that he liked to move around from tavern to tavern. “Do you got a name, Sweetheart?”

“Yes, Junior, I have several,” Yang ran her finger down his arm, “but instead of Sweetheart, you could just call me Sir!” The last word was emphasized by the blonde grabbing his groin with enough force to make an audible crack and a groan of pain come from the poor man.

* * *

“What… How dare… The… The nerve of…” Weiss could believe nerve of this charr. _How dare she insult me_ _!?_ Weiss was furious. So much that she was babbling like an idiot. To make matters worse, the two bookahs were laughing at her! _How dare them!?_

Just then, the big bookah announced that she’ll be right back before walking towards the bar. Probably to get a drink. Not that the heiress could blame her. She could use one herself. After all, that was why she was here in the first place.

Just then, the little bookah turned to Weiss and held out her hand again. “I’m sorry for knocking you over. I’m Ruby, and this is Blake.”

Weiss looked at the hand. “And the other bookah?”

Ruby took back her hand. “Would somebody please tell me what that word means?”

Blake placed a paw on the bookah’s shoulder, “You do not want to know.”

Ruby looked at the charr. “I really do though.”

Blake turned to Weiss. “The other human is named Yang.”

That was when a tall norn with short, orange hair and heavy looking armor decided to walk up to them. “Hey, Kitty-cat,” he said to Blake. “Want to have some fun?”

The charr glared at the newcomer. “I’m not interested.” She drew her claws.

The norn just laughed. “Well, well. Kitten’s got claws.”

“Kitten’s got sword, too.” Blake grabbed the hilt of her weapon. “Back off.”

The fool continued to advance, both verbally and physically. “Am I supposed to be scared of that? Do you know who I am? I’m the great Cardin Winchester!”

Weiss stepped in between them, and placed a hand on her own hilt. “She said back off!”

“Yeah!” Ruby said from beside the heiress, reaching for her own weapon.

Cardin just laughed again, “Ha! Does the poor kitty need a rat and a mouse to defend her?”

The insufferable norn may have been pulverized right then and there if it wasn’t for the flying human landing in between them. He was wearing formal clothing, and had short black hair, a full beard, and a mustache. He groaned as he raised his head and looked in the direction he came from. Cardin, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake followed his gaze towards the bar. Slowly walking to them with a huge grin on her face was Yang.

“Hey, how are you guys doing?” the blonde asked once she got close enough.

“Oh, we are just having fun with the great Cardin Winchester here,” Weiss said, making sure to put as much spite and sarcasm into the words ‘fun’ and ‘great’ as she could.

The norn turned to the human, and smiled. “Yes, we are having fun, and we could always use more.” He put his hand on her arm. “Want to join us?”

Yang’s response was simple: a swift punch to the face that knocked Cardin’s butt to the ground. “That’s it!” the fool growled as he got back up and drew his weapon, a large mace. He swung it at Yang’s head… only to get punched. In the face. Again.

As Cardin got off the floor for the second time in a row, Ruby yelled, “Yang, duck!”

The human girl hit the deck just in time for a club to pass over her head… and connect with Cardin’s face. Yang turned around to see that the man that she sent flying over here was bringing the club in for another swing. “Junior, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Making you pay,” Junior replied dryly as he started his next attack. Before he could land the blow however, a large scythe blade buried itself into ground in between them. Both humans looked down the weapon’s grip to find that it was wielded by none other than Ruby herself.

The brunette looked at her sister. “Yang, are you okay?”

“Ya, thanks sis,” the blonde replied.

“Get out of the way!” Junior yelled at Ruby.

“Leave them alone, Hei Xiong,” Weiss said coldly.

Junior looked at the asura, and saw Blake beside her. He glanced back at Ruby and Yang, and noticed Cardin rubbing his face behind them. Turning back to Weiss with a smug grin, the information broker said, “Well, well. I never expected to see an asuran heiress hanging out in a charr tavern with a human child, a norn drunk, a charr gladium, and a half-blood brute. Daddy must be proud.”

“I have been tripped on by a bookah,” Weiss scowled, “insulted by a charr, and hit on by an idiotic norn. I will not take this from you, Xiong!” The heiress unsheathed her rapier.

“In that case,” Junior took a step back into a battle stance, “Melanie, Miltia.”

Just then, the two girls that Yang saw at the bar walked up. “Melanie, who do these girls think they are?” the one in red asked her white clad companion while equipping a pair of wrist mounted claws.

“I don’t know, Miltia,” Melanie said, “but we should teach them a lesson.”

Meanwhile, Cardin decide that he had enough of this group. “I’m not an idiot!” he bellowed. “Russel, Dove, Lark! Get over here, and help me fight these fools!”

Three norn walked up to the group, and drew their weapons. One of them had a green mohawk, green armor, and a pair of daggers. The second one had light brown hair and armor alongside with a long sword. The last norn had dark blue hair, grey armor, and a halberd. It was obvious that they were all as drunk as Cardin.

Blake stepped in front of the norn, and, with a low growl, drew her own sword. "Back off, norn!”

“Oh come on Blake,” Yang said with a huge grin. “If they think that they can beat us,” with a snap of her wrists, the bracelets on the blonde’s arm extended into a pair of gauntlets, “let them try!”

Yang raised her right fist, then quickly thrusted it forward as if she was punching the air. At the end of her jab, however, the firing mechanism in her gauntlet activated, launching a bullet towards the newcomers. As the norn scattered away from the round, Yang snapped her arm back, triggering the pump action loader, ejecting the first shell and chambering a new one.

With that, the tavern was plunged into chaos. Junior, his bodyguards, and Cardin’s group charged the four girls while other patrons ran for the exit and the barkeeper attempted to settle things down. Amidst the confusion, no one noticed the dark-furred charr calmly sitting at a table in the corner watching the scene unfold with the utmost curiosity.

Weiss stabbed the ground with her rapier, coating it with ice. The norn with the halberd slipped and slid into Cardin, knocking him down. “Watch it, Lark!” the mace-wielder yelled as he struggled to get back up. “Dove, help us up! Russel, kill that asura!”

As the norn with the sword ran to help his friends, the green-haired one rushed Weiss. Ruby quickly shouted, “Yang! Punch the ice!”

Yang leaped into the air and brought her fist to the ground. The blow contained so much force that the tavern floor rippled and ice chunks were launched into the air, creating a fine mist.

Blake looked around. _Smart_ _,_ she thought. _This mist limits our vision, but with my strong senses of smell and hearing and my training in the fine arts of stealth, I have every advantage_ _._ Just then, she heard a noise. Acting on instinct, Blake quickly turned and raised her sword just in time to block one of Miltia’s claws. She then leaped back, barely dodging a kick from Melanie. The human girls began to unleash a flurry of attacks that drove Blake back. The charr knew that she couldn’t hold them off with one sword. Fortunately, she had a trick or two up her sleeve.

Blake quickly did a spin slash. Mid attack, she grabbed a part of her sword and pulled, revealing it to be the sheath of a katana. She struck each twin with a blade. As the two humans stumbled back, Blake continued to press the advantage.

Meanwhile, Junior was learning the hard way why it was common knowledge in Divinity’s Reach that you should never get in a fight with Yang Xiao Long. He attacked her with multiple powerful bows, and the blonde took them like they were nothing. Add that to the fact that she hit hard, and that she seemed to be getting stronger, well to say that Junior was going to have a long night would be an understatement.

The man swung his club at the girl’s face, only to get it blocked by one arm and his own face punched in by the other. Junior coughed as he was kicked in the gut. Yeah, he was going to have a long week recovering from this. At least he didn’t have it as bad as the norn.

You’d think that four large norn warriors would have no problem fighting a human engineer and an asura elementalist, right? Wrong! Cardin, Russel, Dove, and Lark may be strong, but they were by no means fast. Where Weiss and Ruby, on the other hand, lacked strength, they more than made it up with high amounts of speed and agility. Ruby used both her natural abilities and the recoil of the rifle built into her scythe to become a crimson blur, leaping from target to target, slashing at them mid pass. Weiss used her spells to launch both herself and the norn around the tavern while using her rapier to land a few blows of her own.

The norn couldn’t maintain their footing, let alone attack back. They were lucky that their armor could take the hits, otherwise they would be covered in cuts. As it was, Cardin’s nose was broken, Russel somehow got himself a haircut, Dove’s face was nicked in multiple places, and Lark was on the floor trying to keep the contents of his stomach. That’s why fighting and drinking don’t always mix.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a blood curdling scream followed by a fiery explosion. The combatants turned to see a literally flaming Yang giving Junior a death stare. Junior was smiling smugly at the blonde, with the shattered remains of his club in his right hand and a few blonde strands of hair in his left. That smile quickly faded into a look of absolute terror as a red eyed warrior charged him with her right fist held back. Yang’s gauntlet discharged a shot as her fist connected with Junior’s face. The combined forces sent the man flying onto the only table that was still occupied.

The dark-furred charr sitting there chuckled as he looked down at the man. “Stay down, human.” He stood up and turned to everyone else. “The rest of you, stand down! Now!” The last word was emphasized by him unsheathing a sword covered in fire.

“Yes, Tribune!” Blake said as she stowed her weapons. Weiss did the same with her rapier while Melanie and Miltia looked at the charr in fear and shock.

As Ruby put her scythe away, she began to place the pieces together. _Tribune, dark-fur, fiery sword. No. It can’t be, can it?_

Yang gave this new comer the same death stare that she gave Junior as she took a step towards them. Just then, Ruby dashed in front of her sister. “Yang! Stop! That is Tribune Rytlock Brimstone. He is a legendary charr hero. Fighting him would be bad.”

Yang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, nodded her head, and reopened her eyes. Gone was the flames covering her body. Her eyes went back from being red to their natural color of lilac. Yang deactivated her gauntlets and stepped back.

Not everyone was willing to stand down, though. The four norn strengthen their grips on their weapons. Cardin looked at Rytlock and said, “I don’t care who you are. You can’t tell us what to do.”

The Tribune smiled. “Is that so? Well, in that case, guards!” With that a large number of fully armed charr rushed into the tavern. Rytlock gestured around the building. “Arrest them all!”

The guards quickly surrounded the humans, norn, Blake, and Weiss. Those who still had their weapons were disarmed, and all eleven were restrained. They were then lined up against a wall.

Rytlock walk down the line and stopped in front of Cardin. “You’re right. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can order you arrest.” Cardin spat at the charr. The Tribune’s smile just widened. “Take them to the Imperator’s Core!” With that, he walked away.

Next time on Project Grimm Warden: “Gladiators, to the arena!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to my first fanfic. As you can hopefully see, this is a blend of three fandoms. With that said, if you are not familiar with one or more of them, feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them. I'll also try to explain some stuff in these notes. For example, I'll post pictures of the five main races of Tyria in the Chapter 2 notes.
> 
> Speaking of Chapter 2, that's when I'll introduce team JNPR. The Reds and Blues will come to play in Chapter 3, and Guild Wars 2 characters, and other characters from RWBY and Red vs Blue, will come in at random intervals.
> 
> This story will run side-by-side with Guild Wars 2's story. In fact, this chapter happens shortly before the tutorial missions. I'll also incorporate key factors from the other two fandoms' stories.
> 
> I won't be keeping to a schedule, so don't expect regular posts.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it.


	2. Fight the Good Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two teams have a gladiatorial match. What could possibly go wrong?

The Black Citadel is where the Iron Legion tests and manufactures various types of weaponry for the High Legions. A series of laws keeps it running smoothly. Like any other laws, these require someone to enforce them. This duty falls to the Adamant Guard. As well as keeping the peace, the Guard defends the Citadel from enemy attacks. With that said, it is no surprise that large amounts of them are posted throughout the city at all times.

One particular member was beginning her shift stationed just outside the Imperator’s Core when she saw an unit of about twenty-two fellow members walking towards her. She wouldn’t have thought anything about it if it wasn’t for the fact that they were accompanied by what looked like several prisoners and non other than Tribune Rytlock Brimstone himself. She couldn’t help but stare at the group as they entered the Core.

Once inside, Rytlock turned to the guards. “Take those three humans and the four norn to the Stockade,” he ordered. “Bring the rest to my office.”

The group split up, with the larger section heading to the Stockade and the rest following Rytlock up a spiral staircase to the upper levels. Once on the second floor, they turned to a ramp that led them to the third floor. There, they went to one of many large red circular doors that opened up to a hallway to a second door. Rytlock stepped into the hallway, then turned around to face the guards.

“Unchain the prisoners, give them back their weapons, and leave us,” he ordered. Despite having puzzled expressions, the guards knew better than to question the Tribune, and did as they were told. Once they left, Rytlock went to the door and opened it. “Come inside.”

The Tribune’s quarters were small, to say the least, and was set inside one of the large domed windows. There were a few pieces of furniture, the most prominent of which being a desk and a big chair. At the desk, sorting through some papers, was a young female charr with black and white fur and red armor.

The charr turned around when she heard the door open. “Ah, Tribune. You’re back. And you brought company. Shall I get some refreshments?”

Rytlock waved off the offer. “That won’t be necessary, Sharpeye. I need you to stand outside and make sure that no one interrupts us.”

“Of course,” Sharpeye said as she dutifully started to leave. On the way, she recognized one of the Tribune’s ‘guests.’ “Blake,” she said with a friendly smile and nod of the head.

Blake returned the gesture, “Laria.”

Rytlock sighed and sat down in his chair as the door closed behind Laria. “As entertaining as that fight was, you know as well as I do Blake that it’s not going to help your situation.”

“I know sir, and I take full responsibility.”

“First of all, drop the formalities. Second of all, you don’t want to take full responsibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“First things first.” Rytlock turned to the rest of the group. “I’m Tribune Rytlock Brimstone of the Blood Legion. And the three of you are…”

“I’m Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.”

“Just incase Jacques Schnee didn’t hate me enough,” the charr mumbled under his breath.

“I’m Yang Xiao Long.”

That caught Rytlock’s attention. “Xiao Long? As in Taiyang Xiao Long?”

Yang took a step back. “Yes. That’s my father.”

Nodding his head, the Tribune turned to the other human. “I take it that makes you her half sister, Ruby Rose?”

Looking shocked, Ruby said, “Yes. How did you know that?”

Rytlock smiled. “Let’s just say that I know your father, and leave it at that.” He leaned forward. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s get back to the matter at hand. Blake here has recently been dishonored. As I am somewhat responsible, I’ve been trying to help her regain it, and I think that I have figured out a way to do just that. Tell me, have any of you heard of the norn warrior Pyrrha Nikos?”

“Of course I have,” Weiss said. “She’s won several tournaments throughout the world.”

“Well, she has just signed up for a four-on-four tournament being held here in the Citadel tomorrow. Now I can order you to fight in it as punishment for your crimes. I watched the entire fight back in the Blade, and I was impressed. If the four of you can defeat Nikos and her team, I’ll drop the charges and reward you anyway that you see fit.”

Ruby gulped, “And if we lose?”

Rytlock cleared his throat. “Let me make myself clear, Rose. None of us can afford such a failure. Blake would lose any hope off regaining her honor back, and your fathers won’t be happy when they hear of this.”

Yang turned to Ruby, “Dad would do something stupid in order to save us.”

Weiss sighed, “And mine would probably initiate a war between the charr and asura.”

“Exactly,” Rytlock said nodding, “and I can’t allow that to happen. Despite the truce between the humans and charr, tensions between our races still run high. Then there are the Elder Dragons, the ghosts, the centaurs, the hylek, and every other threat that we are already dealing with. The last thing either race needs right now is another war.”

“With all due respect, Rytlock,” Blake began, “too much rests on this match. We don’t even know who the other three combatants are.”

Rytlock looked up at the ceiling deep in thought. “If I remember correctly, they are a norn and two sylvari. The norn is a guardian that is not as impressive as the stories told about him would lead you to believe. He shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with. One of the sylvari is unnaturally quiet, even for a thief. Keep an eye on him. The other one is an overly energetic engineer. She is much stronger than she looks. Nikos is the most experienced of the four. She’s also the most versatile, so be ready to adapt at all times. Any more questions?”

“No, sir!” came the unanimous answer.

Rytlock stood up and started to walk towards the door. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good luck.” He opened the door, and ordered, “Sharpeye, take them to their quarters.”

“Yes, sir, Tribune!”

* * *

 

He slowly opened his eyes as wakefulness overcame him. As his vision cleared, a sylvari with short orange hair and blue eyes came into focus. She wore a white shirt with a black corset and pink skirt. She watched him until it was clear that he was awake.

“Wake up lazy butt!” she shouted. He sighed as he sat up. He was also a sylvari with pink eyes and black hair that had a ponytail and a pink streak. He was wearing a green robe-like jacket and white pants. She danced around him while saying “It’s morning!” repetitively in a singsong voice.

As they started to get ready for the day, she continued to excitedly chatter, “Can you believe that our fight is today? I can’t wait! Did you see those two norn? They look so strong! I think that we can beat them!”

“Nora,” he said as he grabbed his weapons, a pair of pistols with blades attached to them, from a locker.

“Yes, Ren?” Nora asked as she pulled out her own weapon, a large war hammer.

“I think they are on our team,” Ren answered as he stowed his pistols.

Nora’s already large smile just widened. “That’s why it’s perfect!” she shouted as stowed her hammer.

Shaking his head, Ren walked away. “Come on, Nora.” She laughed as she followed him out of the lockers.

* * *

 

The norn walked back and forth nervously. He was not as tall or muscular as most of his kind, but he was still taller and stronger than the average human. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black hoodie, blue pants, and brown fingerless gloves. Over his clothes was a breastplate and a pair of shoulderguards. Strapped to his left hip was a sword inside a sheath.

As he continued his endless pacing, he didn’t notice that he was being watched. “You don’t have to be so nervous,” a feminine voice said, startling him.

He turned around to see another norn. She was about the same size as him, although she looked much stronger. She had green eyes and long red hair that was in a ponytail. She was clad in crimson and golden armor consisting of a gold corset, a red sash, and black gloves and boots with a golden armband on her left arm and golden legguards on her shins. Strapped to her back was a golden shield and a crimson sword with a gold trim.

“Sorry,” he said, “I never done this before.”

“It’s okay to be nervous,” she said moving closer. “Even I get anxious, but you don’t need to be.”

“Are you nervous now?” he asked, curiously.

“No, I am not. I think that we’re going to be on the same team, so...” she held out her hand. “I’m Pyrrha.”

He took Pyrrha’s hand into his own and shook it with a smile. “I’m Jaune.”

Pyrrha frowned in confusion. Most people don't react this calmly when they meet her for the first time. “Do you know--”

“Gladiators, to the arena!”

“Well,” Jaune said as he started to walk away and towards the arena, “here we go.”

* * *

 

There are several arenas throughout Tyria, though one of the biggest is housed in the Black Citadel. Sitting at the base of the Imperator's Core, the Bane holds some of the world's largest tournaments and fights. Its floor, walls, and sands are stained with the blood of many generations of fighters. Its underground water tank was oftentimes saturated with blood. Near the center stood the remains of a ruined tower. Several tunnels served as entrances to the arena. While the bleachers were rarely crowded, today, they were packed. Everyone wanted to see Pyrrha Nikos in action. Well, almost everyone.

Rytlock Brimstone sat impatiently in a section reserved for tribunes as he waited for the match to begin. He was joined by a few other charr of his rank, though none were as notable as the two sitting next to him: Torga Desertgrave of Ash and Bhuer Goreblade of Iron.

Bhuer laughed, “Relax Brimstone! You look like a cat about to pounce.”

“Very funny, Goreblade,” Rytlock snarled back.

“You do seem more pent up than usual,” Torga observed. “Do you have a stake in this fight?”

Rytlock nodded his. “You can say that.”

Bhuer looked at him curiously. “For or against Nikos?”

Before Rytlock could answer, an illusionary projection of a charr appeared in the middle of the arena. “Welcome to the Bane! Today’s tournament promises to be a show to remember!” The crowd cheered. The announcer raised his paw for silence. “The first match is sure to be the very reason that most of you are here today! Please welcome our first team!” The announcer gestured to towards one side of the arena. “Jaune Arc, Nora, Pyrrha Nikos, and Ren! Together they form Team JNPR!”

The crowd once again cheered as two norn and two sylvari entered. As Pyrrha waved and Jaune tried to not pass out, Nora nearly exploded with excitement and Ren calmly looked around. Several spectators shouted “Go Pyrrha!”

The announcer got the crowd’s attention back as he said, “Now for their opponents: Team RWBY consisting of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long!”

A mixture of booing and cheering could be heard as the new team confidently walked onto the blood-soaked sands.

“Get that gladium out of here!”

“The Schnee’s don’t belong here!”

Torga snapped her attention back to Rytlock. “You didn’t!”

“I did,” the Tribune calmly replied.

“Remember,” the announcer said, “this is a fight until exhaustion, so no maiming! Ready your weapons!” Ruby extended her scythe to its full length and planted the blade into the ground. Weiss whipped her rapier as Blake unsheathed her katana and Yang activated her gauntlets. Jaune drew his sword as its sheath unfolded into a shield. Pyrrha extended her own sword into a spear and raised her own shield. Nora took a few practice swings with her hammer as Ren readied his pistols. After they got into their battle stances, the projection flickered away and shouted, “Begin!”

Both teams charged each other, breaking off into four one-on-one fights at the last second. Jaune raised his shield just barely in time to block a leaping down-slash from Ruby. Before he could counterattack, she fire a round into his shield, making the norn stumble back and catapulting the human away. She came back with a second attack from a different angle. He once again blocked, only for her to dart away again. They repeated the pattern multiple times. No matter what Jaune did, he couldn’t land a hit on Ruby. As it was, he was struggling to keep his balance and guard up. It was only a matter of time before the engineer took out the guardian.

Nora was faring much better. Her first attack sent Yang flying straight into the air and towards the ruined tower. At the last second, the human flipped her body so that she hit the tower feet first. Pushing against it, she lunged towards the sylvari. The engineer blocked the warrior’s punch with the hit of her hammer and countered with a second swing. Yang responded with a dodge roll and quick jab to Nora’s chest. The sylvari just shrugged it off like it was nothing. They continued to match each other blow-to-blow, with neither one giving up her ground.

Weiss and Ren, on the other hand, were in a different kind of stalemate. The sylvari leapt out of the way of a conjured projectile, and unleashed a flurry of bullets towards the asura. She summoned a series of glyphs that launched her out of the way and towards the thief. He quickly used the blade on one of his pistols to block the elementalist’s rapier while trying to hit her with the other one. She back flipped away, and onto another glyph. This one sent her into the air above Ren as Weiss tried another stab at him. He once again leapt away in another flurry of bullets. They continued to weave in-and-out of each other's attacks in what might be described as a elegant dance of some sort.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha reconfigured her weapon into a rifle, and took at a shot at Blake. The round hit the charr in the chest. A second Blake appeared next to the first one as it faded away into nothingness. The thief blocked a second bullet with her sheath while folding her katana into a pistol. She then took a few shots of her own at the norn. Blocking them with her shield, the warrior reconfigured her weapon into its spear mode. She then threw it at Blake who used a second clone to dodge it. She blocked a thrown shield as Pyrrha rushed to her weapon. As the shield returned to her outstretched arm, Blake threw her pistol. She then used a ribbon that connected the weapon to her arm to turn it into a bladed whip that unleashed a flurry of bullets. Pyrrha used both her shield and weapon, which she continuously switched between sword and spear modes, to block the rounds and blade. Every time the warrior tried to retaliate, she would just hit another one of the thief’s clones.

The audience could tell that this was a fairly even match that they thought will last several long minutes. That was until they heard a mind piercing screech come from above. Everyone, including the combatants, looked up to the source. It was a giant black bird with a white skull-like head and four glowing red eyes. As everyone watched, it started a dive-bomb strait for the Bane.

Rytlock turned to Torga and Bhuer. “We need to evacuate now!”

“Come on Brimstone,” Bhuer said. “It’s just an oversized chicken. How bad could it--” Just then, a large black feather impelled the ground just in front of the Tribune. “Be?”

The three of them looked around to see that there were feathers scattered throughout the Bane. “Bad enough that we should evacuate,” Torga said, already moving.

“Right,” Bhuer said as he followed her.

Rytlock turned to look at the area just in time to see a section of the ground to explode. Out of the new hole came a giant scorpion-like creature with a black exoskeleton, several white bone-like plates covered in red markings, ten red eyes, and a golden stinger. The Tribune cursed under his breath as it charged the gladiators. “Get out of there!” he commanded.

Jaune’s eyes widened when he saw the scorpion. “Run!” he shouted. The gladiators started to run towards one of the tunnels.

The bird screeched again as it landed on the tower, and then launched a second volley of feathers at the group. Gesturing towards the avian, Ren said, “Nora, distract it!”

The engineer jumped over the feathers, folded her hammer into a grenade launcher, and fired a volley at the bird. A few directly hit it, while the rest exploded near it. The avian flew away. Nora turned around to see the scorpion right behind her. Before either one of them could react, Blake and Ren attacked the arachnid jointly. Weiss then landed by Nora, grabbed the sylvari, and used her glyphs to catapult them away.

“Go, go!” Pyrrha said as she turned around to fire her rifle at the scorpion to give Blake and Ren cover fire as they ran away from it. When the sylvari got to the norn’s position, he fired a few rounds himself before the two of them ran to catch up with the rest of the gladiators. The eight of them were about halfway there when the bird flew right into the group, launching Team JNPR towards the scorpion and Team RWBY in the opposite direction.

Blake somehow managed to end up on the avian’s back. She slashed at it a few times, then leaped off. Landing next to the rest of her team, the charr said, “It’s tougher than it looks!”

“Then let’s hit it with everything we got!” Yang replied. The four of them sent a volley of bullets and conjured projectiles at the bird, but it was unaffected by the small percentage that connected. It charged the team a second time.

As they moved out of the way of the attack, Weiss said, “None of this is working.”

Ruby looked around the Bane. “I have a plan.”

On the other side of the arena, Team JNPR charged the scorpion. Jaune and Pyrrha used a joint attack involving their swords and shields to knock its claws to the side, leaving it wide open. The arachnid responded by trying to sting Ren. The sylvari hopped onto the stinger and started to unload one of his pistols into the joint connecting it to its tail. Nora shot the arachnid with her grenade launcher, and Pyrrha threw her spear into one of the creature’s eyes.

“Ren!” Nora shouted as the scorpion shook in pain, launching the thief into one of the arena’s walls.

Jaune saw that the stinger was about to break off the tail. “Pyrrha!”

“Done!” The warrior threw her shield. It cut right through the joint, dropping the stinger on top of the arachnid’s head, and ricocheted off a wall and back into Pyrrha’s hand.

“Nora, nail him!” Jaune commanded.

“Heads up!” The engineer leaped to Pyrrha, and landed on the warrior’s shield. The norn jump up as the sylvari fired a blast of energy from her hammer, sending her flying straight up. At the apex of her climb, Nora fired a second blast, increasing her downward speed. She hit the stinger with enough force to drive in and out the other side, killing the creature.

As Nora got down and Pyrrha retrieved her spear, Jaune went to help Ren up. The four turned to see if Team RWBY needed any assistance just in time to watch Yang jump into the bird’s mouth.

Yelling, “I hope you’re hungry!” the warrior fired several rounds down its throat. She then back flipped out, launching the avian into the tower. Yang ran to one of the tunnels as Weiss charged the bird. Stabbing the ruins, the elementalist froze the bird’s tail feathers to the structure. She then used to glyph to send herself to the tunnel.

Standing to one side of the entrance, Blake threw her pistol to Yang on the other side. The two of them pulled the ribbon taut. Ruby leaped at the ribbon. Mid jump, she turned around  and placed her feet on the blade of her scythe. Her momentum carried her to the ribbon and right into another one of Weiss’s glyphs.

“Of course you would come up with this idea,” the asura said.

“Think you can make the shot?” the human asked.

“Hmph. Can I?” Ruby looked at Weiss. “OF course I can!” the elementalist snapped back.

She then used her glyph to push the engineer away while the ribbon pulled her and Ruby fired multiple rounds. The three forces combined to launch the human to the tower. Once there, she hooked her scythe blade around the bird’s neck. Weiss then conjure several glyphs that helped Ruby pull the avian up to the top of the ruins. Once there, the human decapitated the bird, letting its lifeless body fall back down.

Ruby turned around to look at the other seven gladiators, who were all gathered at the center of the arena. “Watch out!” she shouted, pointing to the hole the scorpion made.

The group turned around to see a new creature emerge. It was a large black snake with red eye and a red and white skull-like head. It reared its head back, and then snapped forward, mouth open. Instead of closing its jaws around a gladiator, though, it got a mouthful of a flaming sword.

Rytlock Brimstone wrapped his left paw around one of the serpent’s fangs and pulled, driving his weapon deeper into its skull. As the creature hissed in pain, its tail shifted, revealing a second head, this one being white. It attempted to attack Rytlock the same way the first one did. In one smooth motion, the Tribune ripped his sword out of the first head and decapitated the second one.

“The eight of you,” he growled without turning. “My office. Now.” He walked away sheathing his sword.

* * *

 

Laria Sharpeye was looking out of the window when she heard the door behind hear open. Turning around, she saw a very angry Rytlock Brimstone leading eight confused gladiators.

“Tribune!” she said. “I say what happened. What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing Sharpeye,” he answered. “The other tribunes have it handled.” He walked to the window next to Laria, and stared out. As soon as he heard the door shut, Rytlock turned around and slowly growled, “Do you know what you have done?”

“Umm, slain monsters?” Ruby asked.

“Those were not just any monsters, Rose,” Rytlock replied. “They were Creature of Grimm.”

“Umm, what?” Jaune asked.

“Creatures of Grimm,” the Tribune repeated. “They are a brand new threat that very few know about. Even less have fought one and survived. That is why I’m changing my deal with your team, Rose.”

The charr went to his desk, and wrote something on a piece of parchment. When he was done, he hand the paper to the human. “I need the four of you to take the Lion Road and deliver this letter to Garenhoff in Kessex Hills. Do that, and I’ll drop the charges. As for your team, Ark,” Rytlock looked at Jaune, “I want you to follow them there.”

Both the norn and human looked at their teammates who all nodded their heads in encouragement. They then both said, “We’ll go.”

“Why do we need to take the Lion Road though?” Weiss asked. “Won’t it be faster to take an asura gate?”

Rytlock nodded his head. “Perhaps, but there is a reason why I want you to take the Road. You’ll understand it soon enough. Any more questions? No? Good. Go get some rest. You’ll move out first thing in the mourning.”

Why is Rytlock sending Teams RWBY and JNPR to Garenhoff? Why does he want them to take the Lion Road? What will happen to them and who will they meet on their journey? Find out next time on Project Grimm Warden!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have laid down some important ground work here. There is not too much that I can explain without spoilers, but I did promise you some pictures of the five main races of Tyria. I posted the link to the one below as not only does it show a member of each race, it shows five characters that may show up in this fic. From left to right, we have Caithe of the sylvari, Rytlock Brimstone of the charr, Logan Thackeray of the humans, Eir Stegalkin of the norn, and Zojja of the asura.
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave comments and kudos, ask questions, etc.
> 
> https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/e/eb/Destiny%27s_Edge_03_concept_art.jpg

**Author's Note:**

> RWBY and Red vs Blue are property of Rooster Teeth, and Guild Wars 2 is property of ArenaNet. All associated characters, places, songs, etc. belong to their respective owners.


End file.
